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My daughter and her family are moving to Portugal in November on a D7 visa. They will be issued with temporary residence cards valid for two years. If they come to visit me in the UK, do they need a UK tourist visa or can they travel as EU citizens on the ETA UK Visa Waiver scheme?

If they need a tourist visa, can they apply in Portugal or is it better to do it from South Africa?

Thanks for any advice!

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South African citizens are visa nationals, they require a visa to travel to the UK.

Being resident in Portugal does not make them "EU citizens". An EU citizen is someone who holds a passport issued by an EU country, not just a residence permit.

The ETA UK scheme will only apply for people who are non-visa nationals, i.e. people who do not need a visa anyway. It is not a visa or eVisa, it will only be a prerequisite to being able to travel to the UK for people who are already allowed to enter the UK without a visa.

Where they should apply from will depend on when they intend to travel, though it can be tricky to apply with a limited history in their current place of residence (as they will have to provide evidence of their situation and financials for several months in their application). It also depends on their current situation in South Africa (i.e. current stable, well paid job, for instance).

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  • Thanks! This confirms what I suspected
    – Niel de Kock
    Sep 26 at 10:22
  • "It is not a visa or eVisa, it will only be a prerequisite to being able to travel to the UK for people who are already allowed to enter the UK without a visa." - ever since ESTA it's not been entirely clear to me what the difference is between "a visa that is very easy to apply for" and "a non-visa document that is a prerequisite for entry to the country for those who do not need a visa". But I suppose there's an international treaty somewhere that defines "visa". To the user, either way it's a thing you apply for, pay for, and doesn't guarantee entry.
    – Steve Jessop
    Sep 26 at 22:24
  • @SteveJessop Yep, the distinction is subtle, but I guess it mainly revolves around the fact that it is much simpler, as for instance you do not have to provide financials, so the roterai for granting it (or not) are quite different from those for a visa.
    – jcaron
    Sep 27 at 7:34

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